Can capable of being folded into a definite form by hand

ABSTRACT

A can capable of being folded into a definite form by hand, in which the outer or inner surface of a cylindrical can is provided, with a first groove, in the axial direction thereof, second and third grooves respectively positioned to be right and left of said first groove at a distance approximately equal to the diameter of said can, and a fourth groove between said second and third groove. The outer and inner surface of the top and bottom are provided with parallel stripping grooves, connected to a small pull ring. The stripping grooves form a plum blossom, and the periphery of the inner surface of said top and bottom is provided with radial grooves. If necesary, the joint portions at the ends of each groove formed on the outer or inner surface of said can are provided with notches.

United States Patent 1 Hatada 1451 Nov. 26, 1974 1 CAN CAPABLE OF BEINGFOLDED INTO A DEFINITE FORM BY HAND [21] App]. No.: 402,740

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Oct. 5, 1972 Japan 47-99410 [52]US. Cl 220/6, 220/1 2 2Q/ 2Z0,

220/83, 229/41 R [51] Int. Cl 865d 17/20 [58] Field of Search 220/1 R, 1BC, 54, 60,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Pierce 206/517 Pierce206/517 Carmichael 220/1 BC 3,773,209 11/1973 Schane ..220/54 PrimaryExaminer-William 1. Price Assistant ExaminerR. E. Hart Attorney, Agent,or FirmArmstrong, Nikaido & Wegner [57] ABSTRACT A can capable of beingfolded into a definite form by hand, in which the outer or inner surfaceof a cylindrical can is provided, with a first groove, in the axialdirection thereof, second and third grooves respectively positioned tobe right and left of said first groove at a distance approximately equalto the diameter of said can, and a fourth groove between said second andthird groove. The outer and inner surface of the top and bottom areprovided with parallel stripping grooves, connected to a small pullring. The stripping grooves form a plum blossom, and the periphery ofthe inner surface of said top and bottom is provided with radialgrooves. If neces s a ry, the joint portions at the end s ofeachgrooveforrned on the outer or inner surface of said can are providedwith notches.

10 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTE; uuvzsmq 3,850, 338

sum 1 or 2 CAN CAPABLE OF BEING FOLDED INTO A DEFINITE FORM BY HANDBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an emptycan capable of being folded by hand and more particularly, a can inwhich the outer or inner surface as well as the surface of the top andbottom of the cylindrical can are provided with grooves which enable thecan to be folded by hand when it is empty.

Canned food and drink which are used to a large extent in mountains,fields, beaches, stations and streets are often left as empty cans afterhaving been used be-' cause of the difficulty in treating the used cans.Because of this, holiday resorts and mountains may be easily litteredthus requiring cleaning with the attendent difficulties and expense.Empty cans left in streets not only spoil the beauty but may causetraffic accidents.

Further, empty cans cause a bottleneck in transportation because oftheir very bulky volumes. A large number of these empty cans aredeformed by force thus illustrating the users desire for disposing ofthem. However, cans are manufactured so strongly that they may be notbent without using special tools, resulting in the leaving of them asempty cans. If empty cans are folded by hand without using a specialtool, not only will users voluntarily dispose of the cans but socialpressure will force them to fold the cans prior to disposing of them.

Accordingly, the object of the present invention to provide a can whichcan easily be treated after use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a can which can befolded easily into a definite form by hand when it is empty.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a can, thevolume of which can be minimized greatly when it is empty.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a can, whereby thecleaning of the surroundings and the improved recovery of material areattained with a reduced cost for transporting waste materials.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the can according to the present invention,which can be folded into a definite form by hand, the outer or innersurface of the cylindrical can is provided, in the axial directionthereof, with a first groove, second and third groove, one to the leftand one to the right of the first groove a distance approximately equalto the diameter of said can, and a fourth groove in the middle of thesecond and third grooves. The outer and inner surface of the top andbottom are provided with parallel stripping beads, in the form of plumblossom which is connected to a pull ring and the periphery of the innersurface of the top and bottom is provided with radial grooves. Further,if notches are provided at the joint portions at both ends of eachgroove formed on the outer or inner surface of cylindrical can, thefolding of the can is made even easier.

The can according to the present invention, when it is empty after use,can be folded advantageously into a definite predetermined form by handby providing grooves which are narrow, shallow and concave on the outeror inner surface of cylindrical can and providing a stripping zonethrough grooves on the top and bottom of the can. Therefore, the canaccording to the present invention, which is used for canned beer, softdrinks and foods, can be folded easily into a definite form when emptywithout using any special tool, so that persons can carry it back easilyfrom mountains, beaches or streets. Further, in the recovery of usedcans for recycling, the present invention provides a great advantage intransporting them because the transporting volume of folded cans is lessthan one tenth that of bulky unfolded cans.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIG. 5 is a back view of said bottombefore joining;

FIG. 6 is a section view which shows the relationship between the sidewall and the bottom of said can at the joint portion; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a folded can.

DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION The present invention will beillustrated in detail with reference to the drawings. The example forillustration is a 350 ml beer can ofgeneral commercial steel plate.

In the can as shown in FIG. 1, the diameter D is 65 mm and the length Lmm. According to the present invention, grooves b and c are providedalong the cylindrical surface of can 1 parallel to a groove a at adistance of diameter D to the right and left of groove a, and a groove dis provided parallel to'said groove a in the middle of said grooves band 0.

FIG. 2 is a developed view of cylindrical can 1 as shown in FIG. 1 andshows the relationship between said grooves a, b, c and d. The line e isa welding line, along which the can is welded in the form of thecylindrical surface of the can. The grooves b and c are located at adistance of about D (65 mm) right and left from a groove a, and thedistance between the groove b and c 2X is as follows:

X D('IT 2)/2 and the groove d is provided in the middle of groove b andc, so that X D(1r 2)/2 37 mm. Thus, preferably, the grooves a, b, c andd which are provided on can 1 are in the relationship as mentionedabove. However, the relationship between groove distances is notnecessarily restricted to the above one and the distance between thegroove a and b as well as the groove a and 0 may be larger or smallerthan D. If the distance is less than one fourth of circumference, it isimpossible to fold the can. On the other hand, if the distance is muchlarger than the diameter D of can, not only is the can difficult to foldbut the folded can is bulky.

The portion between the groove b and c in FIG. 2 corresponds to thefolded-in-portion and the center line d is pressed by fingers.

The strength of the can is given by the tensile strength resulting fromthe pressure welding of the top and bottom 2 and 3 to the cylinderportion 1. To bend a can by hand, it is necessary to overcome thestrength of the can. Therefore, we provide two means for overcoming thestrength of the can. The one consists of grooves a, b, c and d, whichareprovided on the outer or inner surface of can 1, and notches 4, 5, 6,7 and 8, 9, 10, 11 formed at the end joint portions of each groove.While these notches are not necessary for the present inventiondepending on thestrength of the can, the provision of notches howeverassists in the bending of the can. Without notches, grooves a, b, c andd should be provided between the top and bottom of cylinder l. The widthof the notch is in general about 0.5-2 mm, preferably about 1 mm and theheight thereof is necessarily of such value that the base of the notchis within the curved joined portion of cylinder 1.

The other consists of grooves formed on the top and bottom 2 and 3. Asshown in FIG. 3, parallel curves 12 and 13 in the form of a plum blossomfor stripping are cut, the distance between said two curves being 1.5-3mm. A small pull ring 14 is pulled for removing the top or bottom 2 or 3of the can by stripping said grooves 12 and 13 provided on the inner andouter surface of the top and bottom. Nails 16 provided on large pullringare utilized for pulling the small pull-ring. The portion of grooves forstripping should avoid the one half of the extension of press pressureline applied in the sealing of the can. Therefore, the provision of saidstripping grooves does not disturb the press procedure in themanufacture and sealing of the can and does not cause a break in themetal plate. Half of stripping strip is provided on the raised joinedportion of the top and bottom without hindering the pulling of thestrip. The groove 12 or 13 is provided on the inner and outer surface ofthe top and bottom 2 and 3 of the can in a known method used in theformation of the large pullring. The top and bottom 2 and 3 may bejoined to the cylinder 1 at random. While the joining of top and bottomcylinder in a certain arrangement may provide convenience (e.g., the tophaving the stripping strip in the form of plum blossom can be soarranged that the top may be folded into the cylinder portion of the canby hand without any trouble), this is not advantageous from theview-point of manufacturing cost. To avoid such disadvantage, somegrooves may be provided to the top or bottom for the convenience offolding (not shown) in order to bend the top or bottom before it isfolded into the cylinder 1.

The strength of the can is provided by the formation of upper and lowerring portions, which are formed by joining the top and bottom 2 and 3and cylinder 1,

using the tensile strength of the top and bottom. Both ring portionshave a four-ply structure, which resulted from combining the top orbottom 2 or 3 and the doubly folded metal plate of can 1. The strengthof the can is principally based on this structure. Therefore, in foldingthe can by finger pressure, the provision of grooves and notches to saidring portion provides a better result.

FIG. 4 is a section view of top or bottom 2 or 3 before combining withthe cylinder portion I and FIG. 5 is the rear view thereof. As shown inFIG. 4 and FIG. 5, grooves are provided radially at intervals of aboutl2 mm along the back periphery of flange 17 of the top or bottom 2 or 3.The strength of the ring portion is reduced by half through notches orgrooves on the cylinder 1 and grooves on the top and bottom resulting inthe removal of resistance to finger pressure. Though it might appearthat such reduction of strength is apparently dangerous when the can isfilled, there is no danger in practice due to the presence of tensilestrength of the top and bottom. And there is no fear of breaking the canbecause the radial grooves provided on the back periphery of the top andbottom are pressed to the inner surface in sealing. Any one of theperiphery grooves is registered approximately with the grooves formed onthe can cylinder without exact placement because said periphery groovesare at intervals of l-2 mm. The top and bottom of the can are joined asshown in FIG. 6.

Compared with the conventional cans, the can according to the presentinvention is provided with various kinds of grooves and two smallpull-rings on the top and bottom.' Preferably, both top and bottom aremade of aluminum plate.

An empty can is folded by hand as follows: The small pull-ring 14 ispulled by means of the nail 16 on large pull-ring 15, which is connectedto the groove 18. The stripping strip is not separated at the end fromthe top and is folded in the inside of the can using as lock metal theremaining nail-like portions around the ring portion. The strippingstrip on the bottom 3 is then treated in the same manner. Preferably,the large pull-ring strip is hung at the end of the stripping strip andinserted in the interior of cylinder 1. The remaining top and bottomportion in the form of a plum blossom are connected to the can andfolded into the inside of the can. Thereafter, the groove a on the can 1is pushed to fold the can. Finally, the can is placed on the ground andpressed by the body weight to complete the folding of the can into adefinite form as shown in FIG. 7.

The above description treats a beer can as an embodiment but the canaccording to the present inven tion is not only limited to the beer canbut used for various kinds of cans. The form of the cylindrical portionmay be elliptical or another shape.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Thepresently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in allrespects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the inventionbeing indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoingdescription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A can capable of being folded into a predetermined form by hand saidcan comprising:

a. a cylindrical portion,

b. a first groove on at least one surface of said cylinder said grooverunning parallel to the axis of said cylinder;

0. second and third grooves on said at least one surface parallel tosaid axis of said cylinder, said second and third grooves beingrespectively equally spaced on each side of said first groove;

d. a fourth groove on said at least one surface parallel to the axis ofsaid cylinder; said fourth groove positioned between said second andthird groove;

e. a top and bottom on the ends of said cylinder said top and bottomhaving parallel stripping grooves therein; and

f. pull ring means coupled to said stripping grooves for separating aportion of said top and bottom along said stripping grooves by applyinga pulling force to said pull ring means;

g. wherein said can is folded into said predetermined shape by theapplication of force to said cylinder after said portion of said top andbottom have been separated whereby said can collapses along said first,second, third and fourth grooves.

2. A can according to claim 1, wherein the joint portions of the top andbottom and cylinder at the ends of each said groove includes a notch.

3. A can according to claim 2 wherein said notch is within the curvedjoint portion of said cylinder.

4. A can according to claim 2, wherein the width of said notch is about0.5-2 mm.

5. A can according to claim 1, wherein about half of the extensionofparallel grooves forming the stripping strip is provided on a raisedjoined portion of said top and bottom and said cylinder.

6. A can according to claim 1 wherein the periphery of the inner surfaceof said top and bottom includes a plurality of radial grooves.

7. A can according to claim 6, wherein the interval of radial grooves isabout 1-2 mm.

8. A can according to claim 1, wherein the top and bottom of said canare aluminum plate.

9. A can according to claim 7, wherein said top includes an opening fordrinking said opening having therein a large removable pull-ring havingnails thereon.

10. The can of claim 1 wherein said second and third grooves are eachspaced from said first groove by a distance approximately equal to thediameter of said cylinder.

1. A can capable of being folded into a predetermined form by hand said can comprising: a. a cylindrical portion, b. a first groove on at least one surface of said cylinder said groove running parallel to the axis of said cylinder; c. second and third grooves on said at least one surface parallel to said axis of said cylinder, said second and third grooves being respectively equally spaced on each side of said first groove; d. a fourth groove on said at least one surface parallel to the axis of said cylinder; said fourth groove positioned between said second and third groove; e. a top and bottom on the ends of said cylinder said top and bottom having parallel stripping grooves therein; and f. pull ring means coupled to said stripping grooves for separating a portion of said top and bottom along said stripping grooves by applying a pulling force to said pull ring means; g. wherein said can is folded into said predetermined shape by the application of force to said cylinder after said portion of said top and bottom have been separated whereby said can collapses along said first, second, third and fourth grooves.
 2. A can according to claim 1, wherein the joint portions of the top and bottom and cylinder at the ends of each said groove includes a notch.
 3. A can according to claim 2 wherein said notch is within the curved joint portion of said cylinder.
 4. A can according to claim 2, wherein the width of said notch is about 0.5-2 mm.
 5. A can according to claim 1, wherein about half of the extension of parallel grooves forming the stripping strip is provided on a raised joined portion of said top and bottom and said cylinder.
 6. A can according to claim 1 wherein the periphery of the inner surfacE of said top and bottom includes a plurality of radial grooves.
 7. A can according to claim 6, wherein the interval of radial grooves is about 1-2 mm.
 8. A can according to claim 1, wherein the top and bottom of said can are aluminum plate.
 9. A can according to claim 7, wherein said top includes an opening for drinking said opening having therein a large removable pull-ring having nails thereon.
 10. The can of claim 1 wherein said second and third grooves are each spaced from said first groove by a distance approximately equal to the diameter of said cylinder. 